Episode 83: Singer, producer, composer – Ron Dante

Singer, producer, composer, Ron Dante is my guest this week! You know him as the voice of the Archies and their smash-hit single, "Sugar Sugar." But did you know that he co-produced, along with the Schuberts, the Tony Award-winning musical, Ain't Misbehavin'? Or that...

Episode 79: Conductor, composer, professor – John Alexander

Choral titan, John Alexander is my guest this week. This was a very personal chat for me- John was my champion all through college, giving me most of the tenor solos and giving me my first professional opportunities as a singer. He's the real deal, and I hope you...

Episode 75: Composer, conductor, arranger- Victor Vanacore

Victor Vanacore has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of pop music- Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole and many, many others. In 2004, Victor won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for, "Over...

Episode 73: Jasper Randall

Jasper Randall is my guest this week! Jasper is one of the very few titans of Hollywood vocal music in the world, having worked on COUNTLESS blockbuster soundtracks over the last two decades- little films like Frozen, X-Men, La-La Land, and the upcoming movies, It,...

Episode 72: Moira Smiley

The talented and lovely Moira Smiley is my guest, this week! Not only talented and lovely, Moira is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer whose music can be heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. We play,...

Summer Break Flashback: Jeff Beal

Jeff Beal!! One of my favorite humans is making his re-appearance for my Summer Flashback extravaganza! Jeff is everywhere- I honestly don't know how he does it all, and he really does do it all (unlike some other film composers we know who shall go unnamed). Jeff and...

Summer Break Flashback: Tony Silvestri

Happy summer, y'all! For this week's episode of my Summer Flashback Series, I've got poet, scholar, professor and all-around great guy, Tony Silvestri on the show! We had this chat a year ago, but it's every bit as relevant as it ever was- we talk about life, death...

Summer Break Flashback: Michael Nielsen

Today, for my Summer Break Flashback series, Ninja Tracks composer and guitarist, Michael Nielsen, is my guest! Michael is a great guy, and I guarantee you know his music... Forza 6/7 and Splinter Cell for XBOX, independent film scores and just about every major...

Episode 60: Sharon Farber

Episode 60: Sharon Farber

Film and TV composer, Sharon Farber, is my guest this week. I've known Sharon for a number of years, and I'm always excited to bump into her around town. She's a brilliant composer of concert music (as well as the Hollywood stuff), and through her music, she is also...

Episode 59: Haim Mazar

Episode 59: Haim Mazar

Film and TV composer, Haim Mazar is my guest this week. I met Haim a few years ago on a crazy gun-for-hire musical theater project. Taking a variety of work is one of the topics we discuss, along with the process of composing, orchestrating and the pitfalls and...

Episode 51: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 2

Episode 51: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 2

Here's part two of my chat with Eric Whitacre. This is how we talk a good part of the time, so I hope you enjoy this meandering conversation between friends. We cover a lot of ground, and I tend to talk less on this one, so that's a plus. Thanks for listening, and...

Episode 50: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 1

Episode 50: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 1

Part one of a two-parter with Eric Whitacre. Eric and I have been friends for the better part of two decades, and that's what you get with this chat. We ramble, laugh, joke, and get into some pretty serious issues- You know, all the stuff that friends talk about. It's...

Episode 49: Eric Whitacre 2016

Episode 49: Eric Whitacre 2016

Eric, Eric, Eric. I thought I'd keep on with the theme. Last week you heard some of my past guests answer Eric Whitacre's infamous question, asking, "What do you know now, that you didn't know at this time, last year?" This week, we're looping back to my (second)...

Episode 38: Jake Runestad

Episode 38: Jake Runestad

Jake Runestad is my guest this week. He's handsome, talented and really, really sweet. I mean, really- WTF? He's a terrific composer from the mid-west who happened to be in Los Angeles AND he reached out to me to be on the show. I guess we're officially members of the...

Episode 32: John Powell – Part 1

Episode 32: John Powell – Part 1

I'm thrilled to have composer John Powell as my guest this week. He is a titan in the film music world, and a thoughtful, brilliant human being. Our chat went long, so it's a two-parter. I hope you enjoy it, and make sure to tune in next week for part two. Thanks for...

Episode 30: Dale Trumbore

Episode 30: Dale Trumbore

Composer Dale Trumbore is my guest this week. I love her compositional style, her pragmatic attitude and the fact that she came over to have a nice chat for the show. She's easy going and thoughtful, and I know you'll like the interview as much as I did. Enjoy!

Episode 29: Michael Nielsen

Episode 29: Michael Nielsen

Composer/producer Michael Nielsen is my guest this week. He's a founding partner of Ninja Tracks, the premier creators of film trailer and video game music. I guarantee you've heard a lot of their stuff, if you like going to the movies. Or maybe you've seen his...

Episode 26: Shawn Kirchner

Episode 26: Shawn Kirchner

Composer, pianist, vocalist and peace-lover, Shawn Kirchner is my guest this week. I had a great time getting to know Shawn over the course of our chat and as it goes sometimes, I feel like we left a lot of subjects untouched. Also, I made a couple flubs that I'll...

Episode 16: Kaveh Cohen

Episode 16: Kaveh Cohen

Founding partner of Ninja Tracks, Kaveh Cohen sits down with me to discuss composition, the business of music and the cognoscenti class. Having known Kaveh for quite some time, I was excited to hear some new insights about his process, background and his time behind...

Episode 13: Jeff Beal

Episode 13: Jeff Beal

Composer Jeff Beal is widely known for his work on such films as Blackfish, Appaloosa, and Pollock, and for his work in television- Monk, Carnivàle, Rome, and the current HBO hit, House Of Cards. Jeff is a generous, magnanimous fellow, and one hell of a great musician...

Episode 10: Georgia Stitt

Episode 10: Georgia Stitt

Pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and friend: Georgia Stitt. What can I say- she does it all. Oh, and she juggles a busy home life with Jason Robert Brown and their two beautiful daughters- I swear, my guests usually give me a deep, lingering inferiority...

Episode 7: Charles Anthony Silvestri

Episode 7: Charles Anthony Silvestri

Polymath Charles Anthony Silvestri is a poet, historian, professor and painter. Oh, and he plays and dances traditional Irish music. And he has a PHD. I honestly don’t know what he’s doing hanging out with the likes of me, but I’m sure glad I have him fooled, somehow....

Episode 4: Hila Plitmann

Episode 4: Hila Plitmann

Hila Plitmann is a Grammy award-winning soprano, and one of my closest friends. Full disclosure: she’s married to Eric Whitacre, who is also one of my closest friends. She and I have a lot in common, but she’s just a lot more interesting. A great thinker, shrouded in...

Episode 2: Eric Whitacre

Episode 2: Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre is one of my oldest friends, so why not give it a shot with him early on? It was his idea, anyway. All the things you hear about him are true- he’s a sweet guy, for real. He’s super-smart, interesting, funny, candid and an extraordinarily considerate...